Computer-readable recording medium, information processing apparatus, and printing system

ABSTRACT

In the invention, an information processing apparatus comprises: a document data receiving unit configured to receive document data of a plurality of pages to be printed; a setting information receiving unit configured to receive special duplex printing in which a page layout manner differs on a first side and a second side in setting information used for performing printing; and a print data generating unit configured to produce print data in which the pages are laid out on the first side in a first layout manner and on the second side in a second layout manner different from the first layout manner as the print data for causing a printing apparatus to print the document data received by the document data receiving unit, when the special duplex printing is set in the setting information received by the setting information receiving unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application claims priority to and incorporates by referencethe entire contents of Japanese Patent Application No. 2012-063524 filedin Japan on Mar. 21, 2012 and Japanese Patent Application No.2012-219889 filed in Japan on Oct. 1, 2012.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1.Field of the Invention

The present invention relates to a non-transitory computer-readablerecording medium that contains a print control program that causes acomputer to function as a print control unit causing a printingapparatus capable of performing duplex printing to perform printing, aninformation processing apparatus that includes a print control unitcausing a printing apparatus capable of performing duplex printing toperform printing, and a printing system that includes the printingapparatus and the information processing apparatus.

2. Description of the Related Art

Collective printing functions have been known that increase printableinformation on one sheet by laying out a plurality of pages on one sideof the sheet when printing a document. Booklet printing functions alsohave been known that lay out a plurality of pages on one side of a sheetso as to enable the sheet after being printed to be formed into abrochure style by being folded, bound, and cut, for example. Forexample, Japanese Patent Application Laid-open No. 2009-64266 disclosesa technique enabling a booklet to be readily made, in which a documentis printed by collective printing with changing page order, sheets afterbeing printed are cut into pieces, and the pieces are collated and boundas a booklet.

Such conventional collective printing, however, has a problem of a lowdegree of freedom in usage because the pages of the document are laidout on all pages of the sheets in a similar manner. The bookletprinting, in which it is assumed that the sheets after being printed aresubjected to cutting and binding for making a booklet, has a problem oftaking much trouble to make a booklet.

In view of the circumstances, the present invention aims to enhanceconvenience of laying out pages in the duplex printing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an object of the present invention to at least partially solve theproblems in the conventional technology.

According to the present invention, there is provided a non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium that contains a print control programthat causes a computer to achieve a function for producing print datafor causing a printing apparatus capable of performing duplex printingto perform printing, the program causing the computer to function as: adocument data receiving unit configured to receive document data of aplurality of pages to be printed; a setting information receiving unitconfigured to receive special duplex printing in which a page layoutmanner differs on a first side and a second side in setting informationused for performing printing; and a print data generating unitconfigured to produce print data in which the pages are laid out on thefirst side in a first layout manner and on the second side in a secondlayout manner different from the first layout manner as the print datafor causing the printing apparatus to print the document data receivedby the document data receiving unit, when the special duplex printing isset in the setting information received by the setting informationreceiving unit.

The present invention also provides an information processing apparatusthat produces print data for causing a printing apparatus capable ofperforming duplex printing to perform printing, the informationprocessing apparatus comprising: a document data receiving unitconfigured to receive document data of a plurality of pages to beprinted; a setting information receiving unit configured to receivespecial duplex printing in which a page layout manner differs on a firstside and a second side in setting information used for performingprinting; and a print data generating unit configured to produce printdata in which the pages are laid out on the first side in a first layoutmanner and on the second side in a second layout manner different fromthe first layout manner as the print data for causing the printingapparatus to print the document data received by the document datareceiving unit, when the special duplex printing is set in the settinginformation received by the setting information receiving unit.

The present invention also provides a printing system comprising aprinting apparatus and an information processing apparatus that producesprint data for causing the printing apparatus capable of performingduplex printing to perform printing, wherein the information processingapparatus comprises: a document data receiving unit configured toreceive document data of a plurality of pages to be printed; a settinginformation receiving unit configured to receive special duplex printingin which a page layout manner differs on a first side and a second sidein setting information used for performing printing; and a print datagenerating unit configured to produce print data in which the pages arelaid out on the first side in a first layout manner and on the secondside in a second layout manner different from the first layout manner asthe print data for causing the printing apparatus to print the documentdata received by the document data receiving unit, when the specialduplex printing is set in the setting information received by thesetting information receiving unit.

The above and other objects, features, advantages and technical andindustrial significance of this invention will be better understood byreading the following detailed description of presently preferredembodiments of the invention, when considered in connection with theaccompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a structure of a printing systemincluding a computer terminal serving as an embodiment of an informationprocessing apparatus of the invention and a printer serving as aprinting apparatus that is caused by the computer terminal to performprinting;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary hardwarestructure of the computer terminal illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary software structureof the computer terminal illustrated in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display example of a modeselection screen;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram illustrating a display example of a detailsetting screen;

FIG. 6 is a flowchart of print data generation processing performed by adrawing unit when a “head” is set as a back side layout page and a fixedvalue is set to the number of pages to be laid out;

FIG. 7A and 7B are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of aprintout printed on the basis of the print data produced by theprocessing of FIG. 6;

FIGS. 8A and 8B are schematic diagrams illustrating other examples ofthe printout;

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of the print data generation processing performedby the drawing unit when an “end” is set as the back side layout pageand a fixed value is set to the number of pages to be laid out;

FIG. 10A and 10B are schematic diagrams illustrating examples of aprintout printed on the basis of the print data produced by theprocessing of FIG. 9;

FIGS. 11A and 11B are schematic diagrams illustrating other examples ofthe printout;

FIG. 12 is a flowchart of the print data generation processing performedby the drawing unit when a “selected page” is set as the back sidelayout page and a fixed value is set to the number of pages to be laidout;

FIG. 13 is a flowchart of the print data generation processing performedby the drawing unit when an “automatic selection” is set as the numberof pages to be laid out on the back side;

FIGS. 14A, 14B, 14C, and 14D are schematic diagrams illustrating firstdisplay examples of a preview of a sheet in which layout settings of thefront and back sides are reflected and that is to be folded into aleaflet;

FIG. 15 is a schematic diagram illustrating an example of a settingscreen including a second display example of the preview of the sheet tobe folded into a leaflet;

FIGS. 16A, 16B, 16C, and 16D are schematic diagrams illustrating thesecond display examples of the preview of the sheet in which layoutsettings of the front and back sides are reflected and that is to befolded into a leaflet; and

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performedby a UI unit for displaying a preview when the page layout differs inthe front and back sides of a sheet.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Embodiments of the invention are described in detail below withreference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagramillustrating a structure of a printing system including a computerterminal serving as an embodiment of an information processing apparatusof the invention and a printer serving as a printing apparatus that iscaused by the computer terminal to perform printing.

In this printing system 1 illustrated in FIG. 1, the computer terminals10 serving as the embodiment of the information processing apparatus ofthe invention and the printers 20 that receive print data transmittedfrom the computer terminals 10 and print and output documents inaccordance with the print data, are connected through a network 30. Inthe system, the printer 20 can perform duplex printing by which imagesare formed on both sides of a sheet such as paper.

Any communication path, such as a local area network (LAN), can beemployed as the network 30 regardless of wired or wireless communicationpath. It is needless to say that the numbers of computer terminals 10and printers 20 that are connected to the network 30 are not limited tothose illustrated in FIG. 1. Although not illustrated in FIG. 1, theprinting system 1 may be structured so that the computer terminals 10and the printers 20 can directly connect with each other withoutinterposing the network 30 therebetween.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary hardware structure of the computerterminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. The hardware of the computer terminal10 can be structured using a known personal computer (PC). Asillustrated in FIG. 2, the computer terminal 10 includes a centralprocessing unit (CPU) 11, a read only memory (ROM) 12, a random accessmemory (RAM) 13, an input-output port (I/O port) 14, a communicationinterface (I/F) 15, a hard disk drive (HDD) 16, a recording medium drive17, all connected by a system bus 19.

The CPU 11 is a control unit that overall controls the whole of thecomputer terminal 10. The CPU 11 can execute various types ofprocessing, which are describe later, and achieve various functions byreading programs stored in the ROM 12 or the HDD 16 and executing theread programs. The ROM 12 is a non-volatile storage unit that stores theprograms executed by the CPU 11. The RAM 13 is a storage unit to whichthe CPU 11 loads the programs executed by the CPU 11, and is used by theCPU 11 as a working area when the CPU 11 executes various typesprocessing.

The I/O port 14 is an interface that connects the computer terminal 10to an operation receiving unit such as a keyboard or a mouse and adisplay unit such as a display. The communication I/F 15 is an interfaceby which the computer terminal 10 communicates with the other computerterminals and printers through the network or a universal serial bus(USB) cable. The communication I/F 15 is appropriately prepared inaccordance with the standard of the network and a communication protocolto be used, for example. A plurality of communication I/Fs 15 can alsobe provided so as to correspond to a plurality of standards. The HDD 16is a high capacity storage unit that stores therein the programsexecuted by the CPU 11 and various types of data processed by the CPU11.

The recording medium drive 17 is a recording-reproduction unit thatperforms recording or reproduction on the recording medium 18, and isprovided with an appropriate drive in accordance with the type of therecording medium 18 to be used. The recording medium 18 is a computerreadable recording medium. Examples of the recording medium 18 includeoptical disks such as a compact disk (CD) and a digital versatile disk(DVD), magnetic optical disks such as a magneto-optic disk, and flexibledisks such as a floppy disk (FD). Setting of the recording medium 18recording the programs for achieving various functions such as functionsof producing and transmitting print jobs, which are described later, tothe recording medium drive 17 causes the computer terminal 10 to readthe programs, and to install them into the HDD 16 or to cause the CPU 11to execute them.

Once a power supply is turned on, the CPU 11 can read various programsincluding an operating system (OS), application programs, and userinterfaces in the HDD 16 in accordance with a boot loader (boot program)in the ROM 12, loads them to the RAM 13, and thereafter operate inaccordance with the various programs (selectively executes the variousprograms on a necessity basis) and achieve various functions relating tothe invention by controlling the components including the ROM 12, theI/O port 14, the communication I/F 15, and the HDD 16. The variousfunctions include the functions of the print control unit, a documentdata receiving unit, a setting information receiving unit, and a printdata generating unit.

A software structure of the computer terminal 10 and a procedure ofperforming printing are specifically described below with reference toFIG. 3. The processing and control of software such as an applicationand a printer driver, which are described later, are achieved by the CPUexecuting the software. However, for expository convenience, thefollowing description is made on the assumption that each piece of thesoftware executes the corresponding processing.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary software structureof the computer terminal 10 illustrated in FIG. 1. In FIG. 3, the OS isomitted. In the computer terminal 10, the OS, e.g., Windows (trademark)available from Microsoft Corporation, operates, and an application 101,a printer driver 110, a graphic device interface (GDI) 102 as acomponent of the OS, a spooler 103, and a port monitor 104 operate asmodules performing operation relating to the feature of the embodiment.

The application 101 is a program for editing and managing documents tobe printed. Users can create documents and make print instructions usingthe application 101. The GDI 102, which is a rendering engine providedby Windows (trademark) OS, provides services on overall image drawing.The use of the GDI 102 in output processing of applications enablesappearances and operational feelings of the applications to bestandardized to those provided by Windows (trademark) because the GDI102 absorbs the differences due to models and apparatuses.

When printing of a document is instructed, the application 101 convertsdocument data of the document to be printed into a graphic deviceinterface (GDI) call that is a format the GDI 102 can understand, andpasses to the DGI 102 the GDI call and a DEVMODE structure (hereinafter,simply referred to as the “DEVMODE”), which is setting information usedfor printing, attached to the GDI call. The GDI 102 converts thereceived GDI call into a device driver interface (DDI) callcorresponding to the capability of the printer driver 110 correspondingto the printer used for printing, and passes the DDI call to a drawingunit 112 of the printer driver 110 together with the DEVMODE receivedfrom the application 101.

The printer driver 110 is a module for controlling the printer and theprint control unit prepared in accordance with the model of the printer20. The printer driver 110 includes a user interface (UI) unit 111 andthe drawing unit 112. The UI unit 111 provides a graphical userinterface (GUI) for receiving settings that are unique to the printer tobe controlled and cannot be received by the application 101. Thesettings include settings relating to special duplex printing, which isdescribed later.

The application 101, which retains the setting information used forprinting as the DEVMODE, passes the retained DEVMODE to the UI unit 111when a user instructs a change of the setting. Upon receiving theDEVMODE, the UI unit 111 causes a display to display a GUI for receivingsettings used for printing with the passed values of the DEVMODE asinitial values and receives the setting operation of a user. Once theuser fixes the setting change, the UI unit 111 changes the values of theDEVMODE in accordance with the setting change and returns the changedDEVMODE to the application 101. The application 101 retains the changedDEVMODE as the setting information used for the succeeding printing.

The drawing unit 112 draws bitmap data of an image to be formed in apage memory on the basis of the document data that is output from theapplication 101 and represents a content of an image to be printed. Thedrawing unit 112 converts the bitmap data into the print data (printdata in a print language format) described in a printer language formatprocessable by the printer to be controlled. The drawing unit 112 canadd the setting information to the print data using a printer joblanguage (PJL) if necessary.

As described above, the document data edited by the application 101 isconverted into the DDI call when the document data is passed to thedrawing unit 112 for printing. It can be said that the DDI call is thedocument data representing the content of the document to be printed.The drawing unit 112 performs the drawing on the basis of the DDI calland the DEVMODE passed together with the DDI call, and produces theprint data for causing the printer 20 to perform printing according tothe settings indicated by the DEVMODE. The drawing unit 112 functions asthe document data receiving unit when receiving the DDI call, andfunctions as the setting information receiving unit when receiving theDEVMODE. The drawing unit 112 functions as the print data generatingunit when producing the print data.

The settings indicated by the DEVMODE include those to be reflected inthe drawing and those to be reflected in image forming performed by theprinter 20. For example, in the drawing, when collective printing isset, the drawing unit 112 produces the bitmap data of one page in whicha plurality of pages of a document are individually reduced in size andlaid out at appropriate positions on the basis of the DDI calls of thepages of the document. In the laying out of the pages, the respectiveimages of the pages can be laid out by individually being oriented foreach page of the document. The drawing unit 112 causes the printer 20 toform the images on one side of a sheet on the basis of the bitmap dataof one page. As a result, printing can be performed by which the pagesof the document are collected on one side of the sheet.

When the duplex printing is set, the drawing is performed in the samemanner as one-sided printing. However, it is possible to cause theprinter 20 to form different images from each other on both sides of asheet on the basis of the bitmap data of two pages by transmitting dataindicating that the duplex printing is required to be performed when thebit map data is transmitted to the printer 20. The collective printingand the duplex printing can of course be combined. The print dataincludes the data indicating the content of an image to be printed andthe setting information indicating the necessary settings such as theduplex printing.

In the example of the embodiment, the drawing unit 112 produces thebitmap data. When the printer 20 to be controlled has the drawingfunction, the print data can be produced on the basis of data beforebeing used for the drawing. In such a case, the bitmap data is producedby the printer 20 having received the print data. The settinginformation indicating the collective printing is also transmitted tothe printer 20 so as to reflect the setting into the drawing performedby the printer 20.

The spooler 103, which is a module provided by the OS, has a function totemporarily store therein the print data to be transmitted to theprinter 20. The port monitor 104 is also a module provided by the OS.When the print data to be transmitted to the printer 20 is stored in thespooler 103, the port monitor 104 transmits the print data to theprinter 20 by which jobs relating to the print data are performed.

A feature of the computer terminal 10 having the software structuredescribed above is a function relating to special duplex printing inwhich a page layout manner differs on a first side and a second side ofa sheet. The feature is described below. FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrateexamples of the GUI displayed by the function of the UI unit 111. FIG. 4illustrates a mode selection screen 200 for receiving a selection ofprint modes such as the collective printing and the duplex printing.

The mode selection screen 200 is provided with a collective printingselection unit 201, a duplex printing selection unit 202, a specialduplex printing selection unit 203, a collection page count designationunit 204, a duplex printing format designation unit 205, a detailsetting button 206, an OK button 207, a cancel button 208, and a printpreview 209. The collective printing selection unit 201 and the duplexprinting selection unit 202 are checkboxes for selecting conventionalcollective printing and duplex printing, respectively. When a userchecks these checkboxes, the UI unit 111 causes the collection pagecount designation unit 204 and the duplex printing format designationunit 205 to be active in accordance with the checked checkboxes. Userscan designate the number of pages to be collected and the format ofduplex printing using those buttons. The collective printing and theduplex printing can be selected simultaneously.

The special duplex printing selection unit 203 is a checkbox forselecting special duplex printing. When a user checks the checkbox, theUI unit 111 causes the detail setting button 206 to be active. When theuser presses the detail setting button 206, the UI unit 111 causes adetail setting screen 210 for receiving detailed settings relating tothe special duplex printing to be displayed as a pop-up as illustratedin FIG. 5. In the special duplex printing, the collective printing andthe duplex printing cannot be selected simultaneously. When the specialduplex printing is selected, the UI unit 111 automatically cancels thesettings of the collective printing and the duplex printing.

The OK button 207 is used for fixing the settings made in the modeselection screen 200 and the detail setting screen 210 and returning tothe original screen. The cancel button 208 is used for returning to theoriginal screen without changing the settings. The UI unit 111 causesthe print preview 209 to display an image indicating the current printmode set in the mode selection screen 200. In the image displayed in theprint preview 209, the settings made in the mode selection screen 200are reflected. As a result, the user can intuitively know the currentprint mode from the image displayed in the print preview 209.

FIG. 5 illustrates the detail setting screen 210. The detail settingscreen 210 is provided with a front side setting unit 220, a back sidesetting unit 230, an OK button 241, and a cancel button 242. The frontside setting unit 220 receives the settings relating to printing on afirst side in the duplex printing. Images of a plurality of pages of thedocument data are laid out on the first side in a first layout manner inwhich the images are individually oriented such that only the first sideis formed into a brochure style when the sheet is folded after beingprinted. The front side setting unit 220 is provided with a documentorientation setting unit 221 and a layout page count setting unit 222.

The document orientation setting unit 221 has radio buttons used forsetting whether the page of a document is to be printed in portrait orlandscape. The layout page count setting unit 222 is used for settingthe number of pages of a document to be laid out (arranged) on the frontside of a sheet. The number of pages currently set is indicated by acursor 222 a. In the example of FIG. 5, two pages and four pages areprepared as the options and the option of the two pages is selected.

The back side setting unit 230 receives the settings relating toprinting on a second side in the duplex printing. Images of one or morepages of the document data are laid out on the second side in a secondlayout manner in which the images are laid out such that all of thepages are arranged in the same orientation, which differs from the firstlayout manner. The back side setting unit 230 is provided with adocument orientation setting unit 231, a layout page count setting unit232, and a back side layout page setting unit 233. The documentorientation setting unit 231 has the radio buttons used for settingwhether the page of a document is to be printed in portrait orlandscape.

The layout page count setting unit 232 is used for setting the number ofpages of a document to be laid out (arranged) on the back side of thesheet. The number of pages currently set is indicated by a cursor 232 a.In the example of FIG. 5, one page, two pages, four pages, six pages andautomatic selection are prepared as the options and the option of onepage is selected. The “automatic selection” is a setting forautomatically selecting the number of pages to be laid out on the backside in accordance with the number of pages included in a document to beprinted and the number of pages to be laid out on the front side. Theother settings set the number of pages to be laid out on the back sideto the fixed values. The setting of the number of pages to be laid outon the back side performed by the layout page count setting unit 232 canbe done independently from the setting of the number of pages to be laidout on the front side performed by the layout page count setting unit222.

The back side layout page setting unit 233 is used for setting whichpage of a document to be printed is laid out on the back page. In theexample of FIG. 5, a head, an end, and a selected page are prepared asthe options. When the option of the selected page is selected, the UIunit 111 causes a page number input column 233 a to be active andreceives a designation of a page number. The option of the “head” is thesetting for laying out pages from the head of the document as many asthe number of pages to be laid out on the back side. The option of the“end” is the setting for laying out pages from the end of the documentas many as the number of pages to be laid out on the back side. Theoption of the “selected page” is the setting for laying out the pagehaving the number input in the page number input column 233 a on theback side. When the number of numerals input in the page number inputcolumn 233 a is not equal to the number of pages to be laid out,remaining layout destinations may be filled with blanks and pages havingno layout destinations may be laid out on the next sheet.

The OK button 241 is used for fixing the settings made in the detailsetting screen 210 and returning to the mode selection screen 200. Thecancel button 242 is used for returning to the mode selection screen 200without changing the settings.

In the embodiment, the front side is the first side while the back sideis the second side. However, the opposite may be applicable. The specialduplex printing is a print mode for printing a document on basically onesheet. It is not necessary to be aware of which side of the sheet is thefront side or the back side after being printed. In the printer, sheetsare discharged face up or face down. In such cases, it is not necessaryto be particularly aware of whether the first side or the second side isdischarged face up because it is generally easy to grasp which side isthe first side when the sheet is checked after being printed, asdescribed later. Likewise, it is not necessary to be particularly awareof whether an image of the first side or the second side is formed firston a sheet.

The processing performed by the drawing unit 112 when performing thespecial duplex printing and the print results of the special duplexprinting are described below. The processing described below is theprocessing corresponding to the function of the drawing unit 112performed as a result of the CPU 11 executing a predetermined program.However, the following description is made on the assumption that thedrawing unit 112 performs each processing. In the flowchart describedbelow, only processing relating to the production of the print data isillustrated. The outputting of the print data to the spooler and addingof the setting information using the PJL are separately performed byother processing (not illustrated).

FIG. 6 illustrates a flowchart when the “head” is set as the back sidelayout page and a fixed value is set to the number of pages to be laidout. When receiving the DDI call, which is the document data indicatingthe content of the document to be printed, and the DEVMODE indicatingthe settings used for printing from the GDI 102, the drawing unit 112analyzes the content of the DEVMODE. If the drawing unit 112 determinesthat the special duplex printing is designated, the “head” is set as theback side layout page, and a fixed value is set to the number of pagesto be laid out, the drawing unit 112 starts the processing illustratedin the flowchart of FIG. 6.

First, in the processing, the drawing unit 112 produces the print dataof one page in which, out of the unprocessed pages of the receiveddocument data, the pages are laid out as many as the designated numberof pages to be laid out on the back side from the head of the pages(step S11). When the number of pages is four, the drawing unit 112produces the print data of one side of a sheet in which images of thefour pages are laid out. In this layout, all of the pages are laid outin the same orientation so as to be suitable for browsing the sheetafter being printed in an unfolded (in a spread) state. The producedprint data is used for performing printing on the second side.

The layout described herein can be achieved, when the drawing unit 112performs the drawing processing, by drawing an image of one page of thedocument data in the bitmap data for printing of one page at apredetermined position, orientation, and magnification/reduction rate.When the print data in which images of four pages of the document dataare laid out is produced, the processing is repeated four times. Thelayout positions of the images of the respective pages can be determinedwith drawing start coordinates in the bitmap, for example. Theorientation can be determined in such a manner that the pages arerotated by X degrees. The magnification/reduction rate can be determinedin such a manner that the longitudinal reduction rate is 50% while thetransverse reduction ratio is 50%, for example.

When the printer 20 performs the drawing processing, the layout can beachieved by adding the following data to the print data to betransmitted to the printer: data indicating what range of the pages ofthe document data is to be laid out on one side of a sheet, and dataindicating the respective positions, orientations, andmagnification/reduction rates of the images of the respective pages forbeing laid out on the sheet.

Then, the drawing unit 112 produces the print data of one page in which,out of the unprocessed pages of the document data, the succeeding pagesof the pages laid out at step S11 are laid out as many as the designatednumber of pages to be laid out on the front side (step S12). In thislayout, the images of the respective pages are rotated such that thesheet is formed into a brochure style when the sheet is folded afterbeing printed. When the number of unprocessed pages of the document datais smaller than the number of pages to be laid out on the front side,blank data corresponding to the lacking pages is laid out on the frontside. The produced print data is used for performing printing on thefirst side. The drawing unit 112 determines whether the unprocessedpages, which are not yet laid out, remain in the document data (stepS13) and if the unprocessed pages remain, returns to step S11, at whichthe drawing unit 112 repeats the processing. If no unprocessed pagesremain, the drawing unit 112 ends the processing.

The drawing unit 112 passes the print data produced by the processingdescribed above to the spooler 103 together with the setting informationindicating the duplex printing. The spooler 103 spools the print dataand the setting information. The port monitor 104 transmits the printdata and the setting information to the printer 20. The print data istransmitted through the spooler 103 and the port monitor 104 in theorder in which the data is produced by the drawing unit 112.Accordingly, in the processing of FIG. 6, the data for the second sideproduced at step S11 is transmitted to the printer 20 prior to the datafor the first side produced at step S12. The printer 20 also forms theimage for the second side on a sheet first and thereafter forms theimage for the first side on the back side of the sheet.

The special duplex printing is the print mode based on the assumptionthat one document is printed on one sheet. The typography is notinfluenced by the printing order of the sides of the sheet. Because ofsuch assumption, the processing to perform printing on the second sheetonward if the determination is YES at step S13 is regarded as errorhandling when the number of pages of the document exceeds the supposednumber.

The document data supplied to the drawing unit 112 from the application101 through the GDI 102 is the data of the document on which a user hasmade printing instructions in the application 101. Hence, the drawingunit 112 cannot control the number of pages of the document data.Basically, a user should manage the number of pages of the document tobe printed on the basis of the settings done in the UI unit 111.However, sometimes, the management is not properly done due tomisunderstanding or mistakes in operation. To enable printing to beordinarily performed in such a case, step S13 is provided in theprocessing of FIG. 6.

FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B illustrate examples of the printouts printed onthe basis of the print data produced by the processing thus described.FIGS. 7A and 7B illustrate an example when the number of pages to belaid out on the front side is one while the number of pages to be laidout on the back side is four. FIGS. 8A and 8B illustrate an example whenthe number of pages to be laid out on the back side is four while thenumber of pages to be laid out on the front side is four. FIGS. 7A and8A illustrate examples when the page of a document is in landscape whileFIGS. 8B and 8B illustrate examples when the page of a document is inportrait. The numbers in the figures indicate the respective pagenumbers of the document in the application 101 while the arrows indicatethe upward directions of the images in the respective pages.

As illustrated in FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B, the prints are made in largesize or the pages are printed in the same orientation on the secondsides of the printouts, which are suitable for seeing the printouts byspreading the sheets.

The respective print directions of the pages laid out on the first sidesare not the same in a state in which the sheets are spread. As a result,it is difficult to see the pages in the same direction. The sheets,however, can be formed into a brochure style by being folded. In eachexample of FIGS. 7A and 8A, in which the sheets are in landscape, anopen-to-top brochure of four pages can be formed that allows browsing offour pages formed on the first side in the same direction, by foldingthe right side of the sheet at the central vertical line toward the farside, and thereafter folding the upper side of the sheet at the centralhorizontal line toward the far side. In each example of FIGS. 7B and 8B,in which the sheets are in portrait, an open-to-left brochure of fourpages can be formed that allows browsing of four pages formed on thefirst side in the same direction, by folding the lower side of the sheetat the central horizontal line toward the far side, and thereafterfolding the left side of the sheet at the central vertical line towardthe far side. The pages in landscape can be laid out so as to be able toform an open-to-left/right brochure or the pages in portrait can be laidout so as to be able to form an open-to-top/bottom brochure by changingthe layout positions and the orientations of the respective pages. Whenthe orientations of the document on the front side and the back side areset to different orientations in the detail setting screen 210illustrated in FIG. 5, the page of the second side can be laid out as inthe example of FIG. 7A or 8A, while the page of the first side can belaid out as in the example of FIG. 7B or 8B. Of course, the page of thesecond side can be laid out as in the example of FIG. 7B or 8B, whilethe page of the first side can be laid out as in the example of FIG. 7Aor 8A.

In any of the cases, information that needs to be frequently referred tomay be printed on the first side, while information used for browsingmay be printed on the second side. This layout makes it possible toreadily make a highly convenient brochure, which naturally allows usersto refer to necessary information in the brochure formed in a compact,folded shape, and to refer to additional information by unfolding andturning over the sheet when necessary. Such a brochure can be used whenan information map of a facility is made, for example. In the brochure,explanations of respective areas are printed on the first side whereasthe whole map is printed on the second side, for example. As anotherusage, an overall explanation of an apparatus is printed on the firstside whereas the detailed explanation is printed on the second side. Asstill another usage, a function list is printed on the first sidewhereas diagrams of setting screens for the functions in the list areprinted on the second side. In this case, it is preferable that aplurality of pages can be laid out on the second side because theexplanations to be printed on the second side may cover a plurality ofpages.

In the computer terminal 10, the drawing unit 112 included in theprinter driver 110 has the function that lays out the contents of therespective pages of the document to the images to be printed in theforms illustrated in FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B, i.e., the function thatperforms the processing of FIG. 6. As a result, users can make abrochure without using an editing application that is expensive andrequires complicated operation.

For example, a printout capable of forming a brochure can be obtainedsimply by making a document using a word processor, and making a fewsettings using the function of the UI unit 111 in printing. If a printercapable of performing the duplex printing is available, a brochure canbe made without using an expensive apparatus such as a finisher, ortools such as scissors and a stapler. Such a function is particularlyuseful in an environment in which users who are relatively unfamiliar tocomputers need to make brochures with a low budget. The same effects asthose described above can be obtained when printing is performed usingother settings and processing described with reference to FIG. 9onwards.

The processing by which a first page or a plurality of beginning pagesare laid out on the second side, which is illustrated in FIG. 6, isuseful for a case in which no blank page is required to be laid out onthe second side. When processing the document data, usually, the drawingunit 112 sequentially receives the data of one page each and receives nodata indicating the total numbers of pages. Accordingly, when the pagesother than the head page are laid out on the second side, the productionof the print data needs to start after the confirmation is made thatdata of pages as many as the number of pages need to be laid out on thesecond side is to be transmitted. In this case, to prevent blanks frombeing made on the second side, the number of pages to be laid out on thefirst side cannot be determined until the data of pages to be laid outon the second side is also received even if the print data of the firstside is produced prior to that of the second side.

For example, when the number of pages to be laid out on the first sideis four and the number of pages to be laid out on the second side isone, if data of five pages (or more than five pages) is transmitted, theimages of four pages can be laid out on the first side whereas if dataof four or less pages is transmitted, no page is laid out on the secondside unless the number of pages to be laid out on the first side isreduced. Hence, it must be confirmed that data of five pages (or morethan five pages) is transmitted for starting to produce the print dataof the first and the second sides. When the number of the pages to belaid out on the second side is designated, the production of the printdata of the second side can start at the time when receiving of the pageis complete. Even in such a case, the production of the print datacannot start until the page is received.

In contrast, when a first page or a plurality of beginning pages arelaid out on the second side, the production of the print data of thesecond side can start at the time when the data of the first page isreceived. Because, in this case, the pages to be laid out on the secondside are first laid out, and thereafter remaining pages can be laid outon the first side. As a result, the drawing unit 112 can start toproduce the print data promptly after receiving of the document data,thereby enabling the time for printing to be reduced.

Particularly, when only one page is laid out on the second side asillustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B and no page is laid out on the secondside, the printout is practically a one-sided printout. As a result, theadvantages of the special duplex printing are not used. Hence, thenecessity of preventing blanks from being formed on the second side ishigh. The processing that lays out a first page of a document on thesecond side is useful for a case where high speed printing is performedwhile satisfying such necessity.

FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart when the “end” is set as the back sidelayout page and a fixed value is set to the number of pages to be laidout. The drawing unit 112 starts to perform the processing illustratedin the flowchart of FIG. 9 upon determining that the special duplexprinting is designated, the “end” is set as the back side layout page,and a fixed value is set to the number of pages to be laid out as aresult of analyzing the DEVMODE described with reference to FIG. 6.

In the processing, first, the drawing unit 112 determines whether thenumber of unprocessed pages of the received document data is equal to orsmaller than the number of pages laid out on a sheet (sum of the numbersof pages to be laid out on the front and back sides) (step S21). Thisdetermination is performed after all document data is received or afterthe confirmation is made that succeeding pages still remain after thepages are received at least as many as the number of pages to be laidout on one sheet. Usually, the determination is supposed to be YESbecause the special duplex printing is the print mode for printing adocument on basically one sheet as described above. The processingperformed if the determination is NO is regarded as error handling whenthe number of pages of the document exceeds the supposed number.

If the determination is YES at step S21, the drawing unit 112 producesthe print data of one page in which, out of the unprocessed pages of thereceived document data, the respective pages excluding the pages as manyas the designated number of pages to be laid out on the back side fromthe end of the unprocessed pages are laid out in accordance with thenumber of pages to be laid out on the front side (step S22). Forexample, when the document data includes five pages and the number ofpages to be laid out on the back side is two, pages excluding two pagesfrom the end of the pages, i.e., page 1 to page 3, which excludes page 5and page 4, are laid out. In this layout, the respective images of thepages are rotated such that the sheet is formed into a brochure stylewhen the sheet is folded after being printed. When the number of pagesto be laid out is smaller than the number of pages to be laid out on thefront side, blank data corresponding to the lacking pages is laid out.The produced print data is used for performing printing on the firstside.

Subsequently, the drawing unit 112 produces the print data of one pagein which the pages are laid out as many as the designated number ofpages to be laid out on the back side from the end of the receiveddocument data (step S23), and thereafter ends the processing. When thenumber of pages to be laid out is four, the drawing unit 112 producesthe print data of one side of the sheet in which the images of the fourpages are laid out. In this layout, all of the pages are laid out in thesame orientation. The produced print data is used for performingprinting on the second side.

If the determination is NO at step S21, the drawing unit 112 produces,as the print data used for performing printing on the first side, theprint data of one page in which, out of the unprocessed pages of thereceived document data, the pages are laid out as many as the designatednumber of pages to be laid out on the front side from the head of theunprocessed pages (step S24). The layout orientation is the same as thatat step S22.

Thereafter, the drawing unit 112 produces, as the print data used forperforming printing on the second side, the print data of one page inwhich, out of the unprocessed pages of the received document data, thesucceeding unprocessed pages are laid out as many as the designatednumber of pages to be laid out on the back side (step S25). The layoutorientation is the same as that at step S23.

Thereafter, the drawing unit 112 determines whether unprocessed pagesremain (step S26), and if unprocessed pages remain, returns to step S21,at which the drawing unit 112 repeats the processing. If no unprocessedpages remain, the drawing unit 112 ends the processing. Thedetermination at step S26 is supposed to be NO if no error occurs. Theprint data produced by the processing described above is transmitted tothe printer 20 in the same manner as that of FIG. 6.

FIGS. 10A, 10B, 11A, and 11B illustrate examples of the printoutsprinted on the basis on the print data produced by the processing thusdescribed. FIGS. 10A and 10B illustrate an example when the number ofpages to be laid out on the back side is one while the number of pagesto be laid out on the front side is four. FIGS. 11A and 11B illustratean example when the number of pages to be laid out on the back side isfour while the number of pages to be laid out on the front side is four.FIGS. 10A and 11A illustrate examples when the page of a document is inlandscape while FIGS. 10B and 11B illustrate examples when the page of adocument is in portrait. The numbers in the figures indicate therespective page numbers of the document in the application 101 while thearrows indicate the upward directions of the respective images in thepages.

As can be seen from the comparison with FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B, theprintouts after the processing in FIG. 9 are the same as those after theprocessing in FIG. 6, except for that a last one page or a plurality ofend pages are laid out on the second side. In the same manner as thosedescribed with reference to FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B, a printout can beobtained that forms a brochure in which the respective pages on thefront side can be referred to in the same direction simply by foldingthe sheet and is preferable for browsing the back side of the sheet byspreading the sheet.

When the application 101 edits a document, a content to be laid outoutside a brochure such as a title may be produced first or informationthat needs to be frequently referred to may be produced first.Otherwise, contents to be referred to when necessary such as referencematerials may be attached last.

On the assumption that the editing is performed in such a procedure, bylaying out the last page on the second side, users can perform desiredspecial duplex printing without adjusting the sorting order of pages inthe document edited in the application 101. As a result, even though theprocessing time is longer than that of the processing in FIG. 6, thewhole operating time can be reduced and printing can be performed with anatural operational feeling.

In the processing of FIG. 9, unlike the processing of FIG. 6, theprinter 20 first forms images of the first side on a sheet andthereafter forms the images of the second side on the back side of thesheet. In the drawing unit 112, it is preferable to produce the printdata in the order of pages of the document data. Accordingly, theprocessing at step S22 is performed prior to the processing at step S23,while the processing at step S24 is performed prior to the processing atstep S25. The order, however, is not limited to this. As aforementioned,a change in printing order causes no problem.

FIG. 12 illustrates a flowchart when the “selected page” is set as theback side layout page and a fixed value is set to the number of pages tobe laid out. The drawing unit 112 starts to perform the processingillustrated in the flowchart of FIG. 12 upon determining that thespecial duplex printing is designated, the “selected page” is set as theback side layout page, and a fixed value is set to the number of pagesto be laid out as a result of analyzing the DEVMODE described withreference to FIG. 6.

In the processing, first, the drawing unit 112 produces the print dataof one page in which, out of the received data, designated one or aplurality of pages to be laid out on the back side are laid out inaccordance with the number of pages to be laid out on the back side(step S31). When the number of pages to be laid out on the back side isnot equal to the designated number of pages, blank data corresponding tothe lacking pages is laid out. When excess pages remain, the excesspages are excluded from the targets to be laid out. In this layout, allof the pages are laid out in the same orientation. The produced printdata is used for performing printing on the second side. The processingat step S31 starts after the document data is received until at leastthe pages designated to be laid out on the back side are received.

Then, the drawing unit 112 produces the print data of one page in which,out of the unprocessed pages of the received document data, which areremaining pages after the pages are laid out at step S31, the pages arelaid out as many as the designated number of pages to be laid out on thefront side from the head of the pages (step S32). In this layout, therespective images of the pages are rotated such that the sheet is formedinto a brochure style when the sheet is folded after being printed. Whenthe number of unprocessed pages of the document data is smaller than thenumber of pages to be laid out on the front side, blank datacorresponding to the lacking pages is laid out. The produced print datais used for performing printing on the first side.

Thereafter, the drawing unit 112 determines whether unprocessed pages,which are not yet laid out, remain in the document data (step S33), andif no unprocessed pages remain, ends the processing. If unprocessedpages remain, the drawing unit 112 produces the print data in which theremaining pages are laid out, for which the processing illustrated inFIG. 6 or 9 may be employed (step S34). Likewise the processing at stepS13 in FIG. 6, the determination at step S33 is usually supposed to beNO. The processing performing if the determination is YES is regarded aserror handling when the number of pages of the document exceeds thesupposed number.

When the print data is produced by the processing described above, aprintout can be obtained that forms a brochure by folding the sheet andis preferable for browsing the back side of the sheet by spreading thesheet as described with reference to FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B. Inaddition, even when pages that need to be laid out on the front side andpages that need to be laid out on the back side are mixed in thedocument edited in the application 101, users can lay out any page onthe back side without performing operation to change the order of thepages. As a result, high operability can be achieved.

In the processing of FIG. 12, the pages cannot be sequentially laid outfrom a first page of the document. Hence, the drawing unit 112 needs toinclude a function that stores therein the document data of a pluralityof pages and reads the data of each page in any order so as to providethe read data to the layout processing at step S31 or step S32.Alternatively, if the drawing unit 112 includes a function that producesthe print data of a plurality of pages in parallel, this enables thepages to be laid out on the front side to be laid out on the front sideand the pages to be laid out on the back side to be laid out on the backside sequentially from a first page of the document data.

FIG. 13 illustrates a flowchart of processing when the “automaticselection” is set as the number of pages to be laid out on the backside. The drawing unit 112 starts to perform the processing illustratedin the flowchart of FIG. 13 upon determining that the special duplexprinting is designated, and the “automatic selection” is set as thenumber of pages to be laid out on the back side as a result of analyzingthe DEVMODE described with reference to FIG. 6. When the “automaticselection” is set, setting of the pages to be laid out on the back sidein the detail setting screen 210 is disenabled.

In the processing of FIG. 13, first, the drawing unit 112 determineswhether the total number of pages of the received data is equal to orsmaller than the number of pages to be laid out on the front side (stepS41). This determination is preferably done after all document data isreceived. If the determination is NO at step S41, the drawing unit 112calculates the number of pages to be laid out on the back side bysubtracting the number of pages to be laid out on the front side fromthe total number of pages (step S42), and determines whether thecalculated number of pages is equal to or smaller than the maximumnumber of pages settable as the number of pages to be laid out on theback side (step S43).

If the determination is YES at step S43, this means that the number ofpages is settable that allows laying out of all of the pages that cannotbe laid out on the front side out of the document data. The drawing unit112 sets the minimum number of pages allowing laying out of all of thepages that cannot be laid out on the front side and that are to be laidout on the back side as the number of pages to be laid out on the backside, out of the settable number of pages (step S44).

Thereafter, the drawing unit 112 produces the print data of one page inwhich the pages are laid out as many as the designated number of pagesto be laid out on the front side from the head of the received data(step S45). In this layout, the respective images of the pages arerotated such that the sheet is formed into a brochure style when thesheet is folded after being printed. The produced print data is used forperforming printing on the first side. In this flow, the number of pagesto be laid out is supposed to be sufficient because the determination atstep S41 is NO.

Then, the drawing unit 112 produces the print data of one page in whichthe remaining pages of the received document data are laid out inaccordance with the number of pages to be laid out on the back side setat step S44 or step S48, which is described later, (step S46) and endsthe processing. In this layout, all of the pages are laid out in thesame orientation. When the number of pages to be laid out is smallerthan the number of pages to be laid out on the back side, blank datacorresponding to the lacking pages is laid out. The produced print datais used for performing printing on the second side.

If the determination is NO at step S43, this means that a settingallowing the laying out of all pages of the document data cannot bemade. Thus, the drawing unit 112 activates the UI unit 111 so as tonotify a user that the setting of the automatic selection is invalid(step S47) and receives a setting of the number of pages to be laid outon the back side (step S48). Then, the drawing unit 112 performs thelayout at step S45 and step S46 in accordance with the received numberof pages to be laid out, and ends the processing. In this case, pagesremain that cannot be laid out. The document data of these pages isdestroyed.

If the determination at step S41 is YES, this means that no page to belaid out on the back side remains if the pages as many as the number ofpages to be laid out on the front side are laid out. Thus, the drawingunit 112 sets the number of pages to be laid out on the back side to onepage, which is a minimum value (step S49), and activates the UI unit 111so as to receive the selection of pages to be laid out on the back side(step S50).

Then, the drawing unit 112 produces, as the print data used forperforming printing on the second side, the print data of one page inwhich the pages selected at step S50 out of the received document datais laid out (step S51). Thereafter, the drawing unit 112 produces theprint data of one page in which the remaining pages in the receiveddocument data are laid out in accordance with the number of pages to belaid out on the front side (step S52), and ends the processing. In thislayout, the respective images of the pages are rotated such that thesheet is formed into a brochure style when the sheet is folded afterbeing printed. The produced print data is used for performing printingon the first side.

In the processing described above, the CPU 11 functions as an automaticsetting unit at step S44. As a result of the processing described above,a printout can be obtained that forms a brochure by folding the sheetand is preferable for browsing the back side of the sheet by spreadingthe sheet as described with reference to FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, and 8B. Theprocessing enables a document to be laid out on both sides of one sheetin a natural manner in accordance with the number of pages of thedocument data to be printed. As a result, when the document is made inthe application 101, editing can be performed with a high degree offreedom and loose restrictions on the number of pages.

That is, when the number pages of the edited document differs from thesupposed number of pages, the difference can be automatically absorbedby the number of pages to be laid out on the second side, therebyenabling the document to be made without much attention paid to thenumber of pages. When the number of pages to be laid out on the frontside (first side) is changed, the change greatly influences the outerappearance or usage of a brochure because the layout is performed suchthat the front side formed into a brochure style when the sheet isfolded. When the number of pages to be laid out on the back side (secondside) is changed, the influence of the change on the outer appearance orusage of the brochure is relatively small because it is assumed that theback side is referred to by spreading the sheet. When the number ofpages to be laid out per sheet is adjusted, it is preferable to adjustthe number of pages to be laid out on the back side.

In the processing of FIG. 13, unlike the other processing, no processingis included that is performed when the document cannot be laid out onone sheet. However, when the pages not yet laid out remain after stepS46, for example, the drawing unit 112 may return to step S41 and repeatthe processing by regarding the remaining pages as the total pages.

Preview of a printout having different layouts (e.g., the number ofcollected pages and the order of the collection) on the front side andthe back side of a sheet is described in detail below. When the previewsof the printouts illustrated in FIGS. 7A, 7B, 8A, 8B, 10A, 10B, 11A, and11B are displayed in the print preview 209 of the mode selection screen200 without any change, the previews of two sides of the sheet aredisplayed in the print preview 209. That is, the previews of the twosides of the sheet are displayed in a limited area, thereby sometimescausing users to hardly estimate the print settings of both sides of thesheet.

In the embodiment, to display the print settings of both sides of thesheet in a limited area, the preview of the back side is displayed insuch a manner that a number indicating the order in the collection isseen in a bleed-through manner from the front side. As an example of thebleed-through manner, a drawing such as a number on the back side isdisplayed in gray or lower density (thinner) than that of the front sideas a resembling manner so as to be transparently seen from the frontside.

FIGS. 14A to 14D are schematic diagrams illustrating first displayexamples (images) of a sheet in which the layout settings of the frontand back sides are reflected and that is folded so as to be formed intoa leaflet style. FIG. 14A illustrates an image when the number of pageslaid out on the front side is one, the number of pages laid out on theback side is four, and the layout is in landscape. FIG. 14B illustratesan image when the number of pages laid out on the front side is one, thenumber of pages laid out on the back side is four, and the layout is inportrait. FIG. 14C illustrates an image when the number of pages laidout on the front side is four, the number of pages laid out on the backside is four, and the layout is in landscape. FIG. 14D illustrates animage when the number of pages laid out on the front side is one, thenumber of pages laid out on the back side is four, and the layout is inportrait. The numbers in the figures indicate the respective pagenumbers of the document in the application 101. The arrows indicate theupward directions of the images in the respective pages. The directionsof the page numbers indicate the directions of the images (up-downdirections and left-right directions). The page numbers of the backsides are displayed so as to be seen in a bleed-through manner from thefront sides.

FIG. 15 illustrates an example of a setting screen including a seconddisplay example of the preview of a sheet formed into a leaflet stylewhen folded. FIGS. 16A to 16D are schematic diagrams illustrating thesecond display examples of the sheet in which layout settings of thefront and back sides are reflected and that is formed into a leafletstyle when folded. The UI unit 111 causes a display (not illustrated) todisplay a setting screen 250 illustrated in FIG. 15, for example. Aprint preview 252, which is included in the setting screen 250 andcorresponds to the print preview 209 illustrated in FIG. 4, displays thesecond display examples of the preview of the sheet illustrated in FIGS.16A to 16D.

FIG. 16A illustrates an image when the number of pages laid out on thefront side is one (front 1 in 1), the number of pages laid out on theback side is four (back 4 in 1), and the sheet is in portrait. FIG. 16Billustrates an image when the number of pages laid out on the front sideis one (front 1 in 1), the number of pages laid out on the back side isfour (back 4 in 1), and the sheet is in landscape. FIG. 16C illustratesan image when the number of pages laid out on the front side is four(front 4 in 1), the number of pages laid out on the back side is four(back 4 in 1), and the sheet is in portrait. FIG. 16D illustrates animage when the number of pages laid out on the front side is four (front4 in 1), the number of pages laid out on the back side is four (back 4in 1), and the sheet is in landscape. The numbers in the figuresindicate the respective page numbers of the document in the application101. The image areas on the front sides of the respective pages areindicated in gray (low density). The directions of the page numbersindicate the directions of the images (up-down directions and left-rightdirections). The page numbers of the back sides are displayed so as tobe seen in a bleed-through manner from the front sides.

When the front and back sides of a sheet have the same layout, users canknow the settings of the collective printing performed as the duplexprinting from the preview of the front side. However, when the pagelayout differs in the front and back sides such as a leaflet fold, userscannot confirm the settings of the special duplex printing such as theleaflet fold unless the users know information on both of the front andback sides. The following exemplary manners may be used to indicate theinformation on both of the front and back sides: the back side isdisplayed so as to be transparently seen from the front side, the backside is displayed with an icon, the back side of the sheet and the frontside of the sheet are displayed side by side, and characters or symbolsindicating the special duplex printing are added. The manner ofdisplaying the back side so as to be transparently seen from the frontside as employed in the embodiment enables users to know the pagelayouts of the front and back sides simultaneously even though thepreview area is small.

The page layout of the back side may be displayed in any manner thatexpresses the difference from the page layout of the front side, such asusing a thinner color or in a left-right mirror-reversed layout. Whenthe indicators of the page layouts of the front and back sides overlapwith each other, the indicators are displayed by being shifted to reducethe overlapping area as illustrated in FIGS. 14A to 14D and 16A to 16D.The reduction of the overlapping area of the indicators can improveuser's visibility.

FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating an example of processing performedby the UI unit 111 to display the previews when the front side and theback side of a sheet have different layouts (e.g., the number ofcollected pages and the order of the collection). When the number ofcollected pages and the order of the collection differ in the front andback sides of the sheet, the UI unit 111 causes a drawing on the backside to be transparently seen from the front side (step S61). Forexample, the UI unit 111 regards the respective page numbers of adocument as the drawings on the respective pages. The UI unit 111performs processing such as reversing the page numbers left and right(up and down) in accordance with the page layout of the back side andthinning the color of the page numbers on the back side.

Then, the UI unit 111 determines whether the positions of the drawingson the front and back sides overlap with each other (step S62). If thepositions of the drawings overlap with each other (YES at step S62), theUI unit 111 shifts the drawing positions so as to reduce the overlappingof the drawings on the front and back sides (step S63). If the positionsof the drawings do not overlap with each other (NO at step S62), the UIunit 111 proceeds to the processing at S64.

Then, the UI unit 111 draws the drawing on the back side on the previewscreen (step S64) and draws the drawing on the front side on the previewscreen (step S65). In a small overlapping area of the drawings on thefront and back sides, the drawing on the front side is more noticeablethan that of the back side because the drawing on the front side isdrawn on that of the back side. In this way, the UI unit 111 functionsas a preview data generating unit that produces preview data fordisplaying a preview corresponding to the print data produced by thedrawing unit 112.

In the invention whose embodiments have been described, the specificstructures of components, the contents of processing, the contents ofscreens, the settable items, and the options are not limited thosedescribed in the embodiment. For example, the layout of the front sidemay be selected so as to be formed into an open-to-top, open-to-left, oropen-to-right brochure. For another example, the layout order of therespective pages may be selected when a plurality of pages are laid outon the back side. The options of the number of pages to be laid out arenot limited to those illustrated in FIG. 5.

In the embodiment, the pages are laid out on the front side by beingindividually rotated such that only the pages laid out on the front sideare formed into a brochure style whereas the pages that are laid out onthe back side have the same orientation. The layout, however, is notlimited to being performed in this manner. The invention can be appliedto a case when a layout is performed without paying attention to makinga brochure or without paying attention to brows a sheet by spreading thesheet. In such a case, the invention can perform the special duplexprinting in which the page layout manner differs in the first and secondsides. As a result, the convenience of laying out pages in the duplexprinting can be improved.

A print control program of the invention causes the CPU 11 of thecomputer terminal 10 of the embodiment to achieve the functions of theprinter driver 110. The effects described above can be achieved bycausing the computer to execute the program.

The program may be preliminarily stored in a storage unit, such as aROM, included in the computer. Alternatively, the program may berecorded in a CD-ROM serving as a recording medium or in a non-volatilerecording medium (memory) such as a flexible disk, a static RAM (SRAM),an electrically erasable and programmable ROM (EEPROM), and a memorycard, and provided. The program recorded in the memory is installed intothe computer and the computer causes the CPU to execute the program. Asa result, the processing described above can be performed.

Furthermore, the program can be downloaded to the computer from anexternal apparatus including a recording medium recording therein theprogram or an external apparatus including a storage unit storingtherein the program, both of which are connected to a network, and thecomputer causes the CPU to execute the program. The embodiment, theoperation example, and the modification described above can be performedin any combination of them without inconsistency among them.

The structure described above can enhance the convenience of laying outthe pages in the duplex printing.

Although the invention has been described with respect to specificembodiments for a complete and clear disclosure, the appended claims arenot to be thus limited but are to be construed as embodying allmodifications and alternative constructions that may occur to oneskilled in the art that fairly fall within the basic teaching herein setforth.

What is claimed is:
 1. A non-transitory computer-readable recordingmedium that contains a print control program that causes a computer toachieve a function for producing print data for causing a printingapparatus capable of performing duplex printing to perform printing, theprogram causing the computer to function as: a document data receivingunit configured to receive document data of a plurality of pages to beprinted; a setting information receiving unit configured to receivespecial duplex printing in which a page layout manner differs on a firstside and a second side in setting information used for performingprinting; and a print data generating unit configured to produce printdata in which the pages are laid out on the first side in a first layoutmanner and on the second side in a second layout manner different fromthe first layout manner as the print data for causing the printingapparatus to print the document data received by the document datareceiving unit, when the special duplex printing is set in the settinginformation received by the setting information receiving unit.
 2. Thenon-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1,wherein, in the setting of the special duplex printing, the number ofpages to be laid out on the first side and the number of pages to belaid out on the second side are individually settable.
 3. Thenon-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 2,wherein the print data generating unit includes an automatic settingunit configured to automatically set the number of pages to be laid outon the second side to a value allowing laying out of all pages exceedingthe number of pages to be laid out on the first side out of the pages ofthe document data on the second side on the basis of the number of pagesof the document data and a setting of the number of pages to be laid outon the first side when producing the print data relating to the specialduplex printing.
 4. The non-transitory computer-readable recordingmedium according to claim 2, wherein the print data generating unit laysout, out of the pages included in the document data to be printed, agiven number of beginning pages on the second side and the remainingpages on the first side in accordance with the settings of the numbersof pages to be laid out on the first side and the second side, whenproducing the print data relating to the special duplex printing.
 5. Thenon-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 2,wherein the print data generating unit lays out, out of the pagesincluded in the document data to be printed, a preliminarily designatedpage on the second side and the remaining pages on the first side, whenproducing the print data relating to the special duplex printing.
 6. Thenon-transitory computer-readable recording medium according to claim 1,wherein, in the first layout manner, the pages are laid out by beingindividually oriented such that only the first side is formed into abrochure style when the sheet is folded after being printed, whereas inthe second layout manner, all of the pages are laid out in the sameorientation.
 7. The non-transitory computer-readable recording mediumaccording to claim 1, further causing the computer to function as apreview data generating unit configured to produce preview data suchthat a preview corresponding to the print data produced by the printdata generating unit is displayed in such a resembling manner that adrawing on a back side is transparently seen from a front side, when thespecial duplex printing is set in the setting information received bythe setting information receiving unit.
 8. The non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium according to claim 7, wherein, whenthe drawing on the back side and a drawing on the front side in thepreview data overlap with each other, the preview data generating unitproduces the preview data by shifting positions of the drawings so as toreduce the overlapping of the drawings.
 9. The non-transitorycomputer-readable recording medium according to claim 7, wherein thepreview data generating unit sets page numbers as the drawings on therespective pages and densities of the drawings on the back side lowerthan densities of the drawings on the front side such that the drawingson the back side are transparently seen.
 10. An information processingapparatus that produces print data for causing a printing apparatuscapable of performing duplex printing to perform printing, theinformation processing apparatus comprising: a document data receivingunit configured to receive document data of a plurality of pages to beprinted; a setting information receiving unit configured to receivespecial duplex printing in which a page layout manner differs on a firstside and a second side in setting information used for performingprinting; and a print data generating unit configured to produce printdata in which the pages are laid out on the first side in a first layoutmanner and on the second side in a second layout manner different fromthe first layout manner as the print data for causing the printingapparatus to print the document data received by the document datareceiving unit, when the special duplex printing is set in the settinginformation received by the setting information receiving unit.
 11. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 10, wherein, in thesetting of the special duplex printing, the number of pages to be laidout on the first side and the number of pages to be laid out on thesecond side are individually settable.
 12. The information processingapparatus according to claim 11, wherein the print data generating unitincludes an automatic setting unit configured to automatically set thenumber of pages to be laid out on the second side to a value allowinglaying out of all pages exceeding the number of pages to be laid out onthe first side out of the pages of the document data on the second sideon the basis of the number of pages of the document data and a settingof the number of pages to be laid out on the first side when producingthe print data relating to the special duplex printing.
 13. Theinformation processing apparatus according to claim 11, wherein theprint data generating unit lays out, out of the pages included in thedocument data to be printed, a given number of beginning pages on thesecond side and the remaining pages on the first side in accordance withthe settings of the numbers of pages to be laid out on the first sideand the second side, when producing the print data relating to thespecial duplex printing.
 14. The information processing apparatusaccording to claim 11, wherein the print data generating unit lays out,out of the pages included in the document data to be printed, apreliminarily designated page on the second side and the remaining pageson the first side, when producing the print data relating to the specialduplex printing.
 15. The information processing apparatus according toclaim 10, wherein, in the first layout manner, the pages are laid out bybeing individually oriented such that only the first side is formed intoa brochure style when the sheet is folded after being printed, whereasin the second layout manner, all of the pages are laid out in the sameorientation.
 16. The information processing apparatus according to claim10, further comprising a preview data generating unit configured toproduce preview data such that a preview corresponding to the print dataproduced by the print data generating unit is displayed in such aresembling manner that a drawing on a back side is transparently seenfrom a front side, when the special duplex printing is set in thesetting information received by the setting information receiving unit.17. A printing system comprising a printing apparatus and an informationprocessing apparatus that produces print data for causing the printingapparatus capable of performing duplex printing to perform printing,wherein the information processing apparatus comprises: a document datareceiving unit configured to receive document data of a plurality ofpages to be printed; a setting information receiving unit configured toreceive special duplex printing in which a page layout manner differs ona first side and a second side in setting information used forperforming printing; and a print data generating unit configured toproduce print data in which the pages are laid out on the first side ina first layout manner and on the second side in a second layout mannerdifferent from the first layout manner as the print data for causing theprinting apparatus to print the document data received by the documentdata receiving unit, when the special duplex printing is set in thesetting information received by the setting information receiving unit.